Updated 3 May 2003

Updated 7 May 2003
	Marvin’s and Don’s Trip to Finland 2002
Hilja Happonen's Home Page The Laaksonen Family Home Page The Laaksonen Photo Album Back to the movie clips

David’s dissertation	1. 2. 4.
David’s dissertation	The ostensible reason for the Donald's and Marvin's trip was David's dissertation, but that was just an excuse for returning to the homeland. 1. The dissertation begins promptly at 12.15. The defendant and his opponent meet briefly before the defense, and the Gustos offers usually a shot of cognac, or in this case, Savon viina. The defense ended with a recommendation that the dissertation be accepted and a handshake. 2. After the defense, Marvin wanted to take a dip in the lake (it was about -15 C at the time). Leo kindly offered the use of his sauna and avanto. The hole is kept covered; otherwise chopping a hole through the ice everytime you want to take a dip would take a long time. 4. A radio interview with Radio Kantti, a station owned in part by the University and in part by the state government (YLE), was the next day at 9.30. Click on the picture to read about it and listen to it.

The cabin	5. 6. 7. 8.
The cabin	5. - 7. Wintry views from Alisa's cabin outside Nilsiä. 8. About an hour into a three-hour long sauna contest to see who would have to wash the dishes. In the end a draw was called.

The relatives	9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
	9. First cousin Kerttu, Hilma's daughter. 10. Donald, David and Marvin. 11. Kari, Reetta and Leila. Kari is Alisa's first cousin once removed, but is also Donald's and Marvin's distant cousin, as is Päivi. 12. From left to right Arttu, Päivi and Pekka. 13. Arttu helping Uncle Marvin with his Finnish.

	14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
	14. Don and Marvin with Risto and Helga. 15. Looking through pictures. 16. Happola, where Hilja was born. Here father was a rental farmer. They had a small cabin that long ago burned down. Hilja's brother Jussi farmed the land, but the farm is no longer active. 17. Harju, where Dad's cousin Martti and his wife Maija lived and farmed. Hilja's sister Hilma also lived there, and is said to have worked the field in a tractor even in her early 80s. !8. Pekka Räsänen, son of Martti, and his daughter.

Xmas Eve	19. 20. 21. 22. 23.
	Most Finns don't attend church very often, but Christmas Eve is one time of year that the churches fill up. 19 - 20. The Vehmersalmi church. It was built sometime between 1910 and 1920, before Hilja left to the US. 21. After the service a trip to the cemetary to light candles in the memory of the dead. Donald's and Marvin's grandmother Maria Räsänen Happonen and uncle Juho Taavetti Happonen are buried here. 22 - 23. Marvin presented David with the Kaleva Order of the Vihta for work in furthering the boundaries of genealogical Laaksonen-Happonen knowledge. The certificate was actually presented at the karonka (see pictures 1 - 4).

	24. 25. 26. 27.
	25. Donald with a picture of his father Yrjö. 26. Marvin overwhelmed with his gift - a family tree of his ancestors. 27. We bought a Xmas tree on Xmas Eve. It didn't look so great when we bought it, but even so we were surprised at its instant shedding of large quantities of needles. Uncle Marvin negotiated a cheap price from the guy selling the trees at the tori, using his best savo. Uncle Marvin got the price down from 10€ to 5€, and finally 3€. At first one of the other customers was laughing, but not after discovering that he had paid triple for an equally shabby tree.

Snowshoeing	28. 29. 30.
Snowshoeing	28 - 30. Snowshoeing around Puijo in Kuopio. The snow was so soft that we sank into the snow and couldn't stay upright. We ended up going on roads and walking trails.

Rovaniemi	31. 33. 34. 35. 37.
Rovaniemi	31. The train to Rovaniemi. 34. Bargaining for sweaters. 35. A trip to Santa Park. Uncle Marvin didn't get to sit in Santa's lap, but he did get an autograph. 36. The Ice Restaurant. Marvin wanted cold temperatures, and it was cold, -34 deg C. We walked about 4-5 km to the place, getting lost on the way. We took a taxi back. 37. The Arctic Circle, about 10 km north of Rovaniemi.

Genealogical research	39. 40. 41.
Genealogical research	Genealogical research may look fun, but requires self-discipline and years of hard work and training.

New Year's Eve	42. 43.
New Year's Eve	42. Marvin with his kuksa, a Saame cup made of birch (?). It should be rinsed out after use, but not washed. 43. Tina, tin or solder. First it is melted, then thrown onto the water. The shape can be used to predict the future. Hilja and Yrjö did this every New Year's Eve in Detroit.

The trip ends...	44. 45. 46.
The trip ends...	44. Last-minute shopping at Carlsons to buy a reindeer skin. There was a small communication gap - the salesclerk didn't understand the word reindeer, nor did he understand the word "burro" (poro). Donald had to resort to charades. 45. Marvin packing. 46. Good-bye tears.